Centrifugal separator



Oct. 17, 1933. Q G, HAWLEY 1,931,194

CENTR IFUGAL S EPARATOR Filed March 8, 1932 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 5 l the rotation of the fluid but is accomplished of a separator embodying this invention;-Fig. 35 l 2Q in one way or another are removed from the 3 and at the other containing a smaller outlet 75 480r and maintenance costs are all demanded of such fastened together by bolts c. The ends a and b" 85 Patented Oct. 1 7, 1 933 l ,93 1 l UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE CENTRIFU GAL SEPARATOR Charles Gilbert Hawley, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Centriflx Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application March 8, 1932. Serial No. 597,560 3 Claims. (Cl. 183-80) This application relates to improvements in and installable as a single unit; and, adapted line separators, and in particular relatesl to defor easy dismemberment. Other objects of the slrable modifications of the invention which is invention will appear hereinafter. described and claimed in my earlier application With these objects in view, the invention com- I s, N- 337,597 which matured into patent No, prisesacentrifugal separator of the construction, 60

1,896,896, Feb, '7, 1933, combination and arrangement of parts herein- The invention relates to the art of centrifuafter detailed and exemplified in the drawing gally separating various substances from carrier that forms part of this specification. fluids that are in motion. The work is done by In said drawing Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section within a so-calledseparator which is flxed against 2 is an end view as the device appears when the rotation and contains no rotating parts. Instead entrance section of the casing is removed and the theseparator includes a so-calledwhirlpromoting bolts being shown in section upon the line 2-2 tuyre the presence of which causes the vortexial of Fig. 1;-and, Fig. 3 is a cross section on the l5, or whirling movement of the iiuid as it passes line 3-3 of Fig. 1. 7o through the body of the separator. Such move- On reference to the drawing itv will be seen that ment in turn results in the centrifugal separation a separator of the kind embodying this invenof the foreign substances or impurities carried tion is typified by a cylindrical separating chamby the moving fluid and finally the impurities ber 2 having at one end a whirl promoting tuyre path of the fluid before the latter reaches the oriiice 4.

fluid outlet of the separator. As represented, the parts forming the tuyre This present invention has particular reference 3, the separating chamber 2 and the outlet 4 are to improvements in the construction relied upon all contained by a generally cylindrical casing to accomplish the centrifugal collection of the having thick walls and adapted for inclusion in 80 foreign substances and which permit the same to a pipe line. g 'Ihe casing of this particular sepescape from the separator in advance of its outarator is made in two parts. The larger part a,

let, is called the body of the separator while the part b High efliciency, high capacity and low original is called the inlet bell. Those parts are tightly separators. They are also required to be eflicient of the casing are shaped and finished for easy throughout a great range of Working velocities inclusion in a carrier pipe of a size which corand to be practical they must be self-cleaning. responds with the diameters of the openings ax Such separators are of little greater size than and l)x in the ends of the casing.

85 the pipes or carrier conduits wherein they are The whirl promoting tuyre Bis of the so-called included and yet are required to be dependable radial type which presents to the entering uid inall respects. a circumferential series of inclined deecting 'I'he object of the present invention is to problades 3 and a central hub 3". By preference the vide a centrifugal separator which shall meet tuyre also presents the so-called vortex defeat- 40 the demands next above recited. ing cone portion 3a, which latter opens toward 95 Specically, the objects of the invention are to the orifice 4 and is coaxial therewith. The conprovide a separator that shall be adapted for struction of the tuyre here shown is described direct inclusion in a carrier line or pipe; that and claimed in my companion application S. N. shall oppose little resistance to the passage of 597,558, of even date herewith and being clearthe carrier iiuid; which shall comprise few parts ly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 does not require de- 100 and all of simple construction; which shall comtailed description in this case. The presence of prise only fixed or stationary parts and none the tuyre 3 at the intake of the separating chamwhich move or rotate; which shall be effective ber 2 causes the passing fluid to whirl within the to remove substantially all centrifugally separachamber with a degree of vigor proportioned to ble substances from the fluid and to discharge the velocity of uid movement and the angular- 105 the same from the line; which shall be of relaity of the tuyre blades 3'. tively small size, weight and cost as compared The separating or vortex chamber has a. 1onto separators made by others; which shall be gitudinally extended cylindrical wall 2 and obsubstantially self-cleaning; which shall be durviously serves to confine the fluid vortex to that able and strong; which shall be transportable diameter while permitting the spiral movement no application S. N. 597,558 may 2 of the fluid toward the orifice 4. As shown. the diameter of the orifice 4 is less than that of the chamber 2 andthe whirling movement of the fluid toward and into the orifice is governed by the presence of an annular end or abutment portions 5 and 5a which are interposed between the wall 2' and the margin of the orifice 4. Those surfaces are preceded by narrow eject slots 6, 6a and the centrifugally separated substances which gatherfupon the wall 2 are urged first toward theA abutment 5 by the longitudinal movement of the fluid and are centrifugally discharged through the narrow circumferential slot 6 and then toward the surface 5a at which station residual substances are discharged through the slot 6a.,y The substances thus discharged through the slots 6, 6a enter large receptionchambers '7,

The chambers 7, '1a are separated by a transverse annular partition a' which partition part is integral with the body portion a. The spaces 7, 7a are provided with respective eject drains Most advantageously, the tuyre 3 is held by the sleeve d, and in accordance with aforesaid be a unitary part of the longitudinally extended sleeve d, that contains the separating ,chamber 2 and bears the internal cylindrical wall 2P' ".ihjg'a;V sleeve d has an external shoulder d which is' seated in a recess provided in the end of the casing body a, and both the tuyre 3 and the sleeve, d, are held tightly between the parts of the casing when the clamping bolts, c, are tightened. A key, 8, may be employed to further lock them against rotative movement within the casing.

The perpendicular abutment surface 5 is formed by machine finishing the outer face of the partition a'. The end 2a of the sleeve portion d stops short of that surface 5 and thus the two parts d and a' are made to form or complete the narrow circumferential eject -slot 6 leading outward into the Ysurrounding chamber 7.

The central opening 9 within the part a' is coaxial with the ,chamber 2 but is of less diameter, in order to provide the annular surface 5 for coaction with the separating chamber. By preference the opening 9 is approached by a conical surface 9a that merges with the surface 5. That formation permits the quiet departure of the whirling fluid from the chamber 2. The opening 9 terminates in a finished lip portion 9" which slightly overhangs the chamber 7a.

While the opening 9 is smaller than the chamber it is of larger diameter than the outlet 4 and it will be seen that the latter is contained by a separately insertable part 4a, an outside diameter which permits it to be installed through the chamber 2- and the partition opening 9.

The part 4a bears the annular surface 5a which in this case is preferably of'the slightly conical form shown. The outer end of the part 4a is tightly seated in the outlet neck of the casing, a,

and obviously the part 4a forms an inner wall which rises within the chamber '7a. However, the part 4a is of less length than the chamber '1a and thus a space remains open between the end 5a and the partition portion a. That space is the eject slot 6a before identified. The slot 6a deals with uid which is under slightly less pressure than that which exists at the slot 6 and hence, as here shown, the slot 6a may and indeed should be wider than the slot 6.

The large open spaces 7 and 7a within the separator body are separated only by the ringlike partitions a' and are of distinct advantales in the casting of the casing inthe foundry and with reference tov the finishing thereof in the machine shop. They possess the further advantage of providing ample spaces for the reception, the gathering and the temporary holding of centrifugally separated substances, in preparation for the discharge thereof through respective drain openings.

It will be clear that the described separating chamber 2, is formed by the sleeve d and extends from the tuyre 3 to the abutment ring or surface 5, its outlet end being additionally marked by the slot 6. It will also be clear that the sleeve 4a serves to'close the space 'la from within except that the parts a and 4a areseparated to form kthe described slot 6a.

When the separator is in operation the entering fluid first encounters the angularly bladed tuyre 3. Due to direction and deflection by that element the fluid takes on a rapid whirling motion within the chamber 2. In order to escape from the chamber the vortex or whirling body of fluid must pass through the smaller central opening 9 suffering relative contraction in so do- 1'00 ing. From that point the fluid moves forward to the orifice 4 and the whirling stream is further reduced in cross section as it passes into that still smaller opening.

The longitudinal and whirling velocities of the fiuid result in a maximum fluid pressure at the juncture of the wall 2 and the abutment surface 5; and the foreign substances which are centrifugally collected on the wall 2' and which are n urged forward by the whirling fluid, are very poslim tively ejected through the slot 6 and thus deposited in the surrounding space 7. Meantime, lighter substances still carried by the fluid impact the surfaces 5 and 9a and 5a and those substances are positively whirled outward and thus deposited in the space 7a, being centrifugally ejected upon reaching the lip 9" and the slot 6a. The presence of the abutment surface 5a on the end of the sleeve 4a insures and facilitates such separation of the last of the foreign substances, im and the fluid which finally escapes through the orifice 4 is found to be very completely purified.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent:

l. A separator of the fixed centrifugal type comprising a hollow casing having an inlet at one end an an outlet at the other and intermediately containing a transverse partition dividing the casing into successive eject chambers, and each of the latter terminating in an eject nozzle, in combination with a cylindrical sleeve fixedly positioned longitudinally within said casing and of less diameter than the first of said chambers,

a whirl promoting tuyre fixedly positioned at and coaxial with the inlet end of said sleeve, distant from said partition, the outlet end of said sleeve being separated from said partition by a narrow eject slot leading into said first chamber, said outlet of the casing being coaxial with `said g. sleeve but of smaller diameter and marked by a re-entrant sleeve portion that extends toward the outlet side of said partition but which is separated therefrom by a circumferential eject slot that leads into the second of said chambers, and said partition containing a coaxially central opening 14: of a diameter smaller than that of said sleeve andv f larger than that of said sleeve. portion and bevelled toward the latter.

2. A separator of the fixed centrifugal type comprising a hollow casing having an inlet at 151 one end and an outlet at the other and intermediately containing a transverse partition dividing the casing into successive eject chambers, and each of the latter terminating in an eject nozzle, in combination with a cylindrical sleeve iixedly positioned longitudinally within said casing and of less diameter than the first of said chambers, a Whirl promoting tuyre xedly positioned at and coaxial with the inlet end of said sleeve, distant from said partition, a vortex defeating cone of smaller diameter than said tuyre and opening toward the outlet thereof, the outlet end of said sleeve being separated from said partition by a narrow eject slot leading into said rst chamber, said outlet of the casing being coaxial with said sleeve but of smaller diameter and marked by a re-entrant sleeve portion that extends toward the outlet side of said partition but which is separated therefrom by a circumferential eject slot that leads into the second of saidl chambers, and said partition containing a coaxlally-central opening of a diameter smaller than that of said sleeve and larger than that of said sleeve portion and bevelled toward the latter.

3. A separator of the xed centrifugal type comprising a hollow casing having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the other and intermediately containing a transverse partition dividing the casing into successive eject chambers, and each of the latter terminating in an eject nozzle, in combination with a cylindrical sleeve xedly positioned longitudinally Within said casing and of less diameter than the iirst of said chambers, a radially bladed whirl promoting tuyre xedly positioned in and coaxial with the inlet end of said sleeve, distant from said partition, the outlet end of said sleeve being separated from said partition by a narrow eject slot leading into said first chamber, said outlet of the casing being coaxial with said sleeve but of smaller diameter and marked by a re-entrant sleeve portion that extends toward the outlet side of said partition but which is separated therefrom by a circumferential eject slot that leads into the second of said chambers, and said partition containing a, coaxially central opening of a diameter smaller than that of said sleeve and larger than that of said sleeve portion and bevelled toward the latter.

CHARLES GILBERT HAWLEY. 

